Ephesians 2:  ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

¹¹ Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

¹² That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

¹⁵ Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

¹⁶ And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

¹⁷ And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

¹⁸ For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Perfect Righteousness demands perfect Justice.  I remember a Muslim friend who once told me, "at this point in my life, I can never pray enough; nor perform enough good to undo the sins in my life."   He was a doctor and by worldly standards had not been considered evil; but, he had realized that by the standards of perfect righteousness, he had failed.  Light had shone into the darkness of his heart revealing every selfish, covetous thought.  Have I ever hurt or injured anyone by thoughts of jealousy? Have I unjustly ever injured someone else by words spoken?  Is there within me some pride-filled desire to be exalted above someone else? Have I ever gotten angry unjustly?  When the light of God’s Righteousness shines into the darkness of my heart, I too, would cry out " I can never do enough to undo the sins in my life"  Justice demands that I be sentenced to death eternally.  Yet, there at the foot of the Cross; Perfect Justice and Perfect Love met to give forth Mercy to someone like me and you. 

So in His diverse excellences, He (Jesus Christ) is perfect judge—respecting every law and carrying out the just penalty of the law with all its wrath and fury; while at the same time being perfect mercy and grace by accepting the full power of God’s wrath toward sin on Himself so that those who would accept His gift would be made righteous through faith.  He is God in all his Holiness, Power, and Might. Yet, He chose to leave heaven with all its beauty to obediently come to earth in poverty, knowing that he would be rejected and ridiculed.  The sea and the wind obeyed His voice.  He raised Lazarus from the dead, healed the lepers, drove out demons; yet, He chose to die a cruel, humiliating death without opening His mouth except to ask the Father to forgive those who nailed Him to the cross. He was a man of great sorrow; yet, filled with Joy.   He who “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1: 1-3.  This same Christ bowed down in reverence and obedience to the Father.  He was royalty who chose to live in poverty among the “untouchables” and outcasts.  He was perfect wisdom, who taught and still teaches with great patience a bunch of slow learners such as ourselves.  He hated sin and all its effects on man; yet, He loved the sinner enough to offer to take His place.   On this subject, I could go on writing for a lifetime and never complete the list of diverse Excellencies which are found in Christ Jesus.  There was never one so worthy to receive only good; yet, so willing to patiently endure suffering and pain for our sake.  excerpt from Ultimate Inspiration God’s Plan of Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NkzxwpQlXA

Matthew 25: ³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Are we listening?  Do we hear the cries of those suffering whether it is from a natural disaster or it is your neighbor?  When those of us in healthcare enter the hospitals where there is so much suffering, do we really hear the cries of patient or their family?  Have we become so concerned about the ever decreasing healthcare dollar that we only want to deal with the easy, quick patient so we can move on to reach numbers?  Do we hear the voices of the mentally ill lost in their world of psychosis or do we want to just sweep them under some rug and walk away? Are you willing to live a life without those luxuries you thought you deserved, so someone else might have hope tomorrow?  Will you hand your lunch to the man on the corner?  Will you be the voice for someone who has lost theirs?  Jesus Christ had told His disciples this following the parable about the talents.  Of course, the degree in which one can give is dependent upon what you have been given.  I am not saying, sell all of what you have and live in the streets; but, I am saying to listen very carefully to the whispering voice of God that says "Give to this one", "speak up for this one", and "stop to listen to this one."  Can you take the time to give a piece of your time to encourage someone?  Or can you stop to fight for someone who is mentally ill when no one else hears them?  So my question is, "Are You Listening?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZrPcyyWRzI

 

Galatians 6:

¹⁴ But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

This is my prayer, I want you to love Jesus more because you have known me.  The greatest gift I can give each person I meet is Christ.  He is my greatest love, my joy, my hope, and my Savior.  As I look back over my life, so many times I have failed to represent Him as I should.  I have at moments gotten caught up in my own petty desires and wishes, I am so sorry for those moments.  But let me tell you about a gentle, loving Savior who left all the Splendor of Heaven where the Father’s love engulfs Him while the angels sing His constant praise to come to this earth where He was rejected, beaten and hung shamefully on a cross to die and pay the penalty of sin for you and me.  Oh, that I would die to all those self-centered thoughts long enough that you might see His face shine through me.  Is there anything more important for me to do?  So, if one day God calls me home; I hope that when you hear my name, you think of Him.  I have never deserved the Grace which He has so freely poured out in my life.  I never want to forget for a moment that fact and for that reason I must display that same Grace to those who are around me.  Whatever the cost, I cannot get so caught up trying to impress them at work with "numbers" so that I ignore the opportunities when the Lord is tugging at my heart to compassionately remind a patient that is hurting of the love God has for them.  I want my family, my friends, my co-workers, and my acquaintances to all remember a glimpse of my Glorious Savior and Friend–Jesus Christ when they remember the moments they spent with me.  So dear Heavenly Father, let me die to me; so a world might see You.  I know that so often You, Father have even taken my failures and used them to Your Glory;.  I realize that if I have done anything Good it has been Your work through me.   Guide me each moment of each day that all the Glory goes to You.  Oh, Father do not let my mind wander or forget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwXZZLwXvh4

 

 

Below are links to Artwork that will inspire you.   I have these portraits hanging on the wall over my computer where I write for you this morning blog and they stand as reminders of God’s Grace in my Life.

 

 

Good Morning,

Below my signature you will find icons to my business sites on Facebook, Twitter, Fine Art America, and Zazzle. Please feel free to like or follow my pages and send my store links to anyone who maybe interested in these items.

I greatly appreciate the references.

Sincerely,

Ronald Barba

Luke 8: ²² Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

²³ But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

²⁴ And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

²⁵ And he said unto them, Where is your faith?

The disciples had heard the Sermon on the Mount, they had seen the Centurion’s servant healed, the widow’s son raised from the dead, and many other miracles.  Yet, when the storm came; they became afraid and cried out in fear to Christ.  You have to love the disciples with all their frailties.  The Bible has never hidden the truths as they occurred.  You and I may look at this and say, "What fools, they were with Him and still had moments of pride, panic and fear?"   Yet, we are so much like them.  Whenever trials come, we become filled with fears and questions.  How many miracles have we seen in our own lives? 

So how do we get rid of the fear and tremors when we are facing tough valleys in our lives?  How do we find joy, hope, peace and mountaintop experiences while in the valley? The steps I am about to outline are meant for those who know Jesus Christ as the Savior; if you don’t I urge to ask Him into your heart.  He took your sins upon Himself and died on the cross so that you might have the chance to be justified.  (Declared just as if you had never sinned)  Thereby, you are given the opportunity of a personal, intimate relationship with God. Additionally, by accepting Christ, you become the recipient of all of His promises.  This, I declare to you is the key to a life abundantly filled with joy no matter what storm surrounds you.

            Now I will get back to the steps to take as a Christian when facing a sudden dark valley.

1.  Pray.  There is power in prayer.  Even if you do not know what to say, just sit quietly before God.  The Holy Spirit will make intercession for you.  Pray even if you are feeling frustrated or angry with God; because He knows already how you are feeling.  This prayer is not because God doesn’t know; but it gives Him a moment alone with Him so He can soothe and comfort you.

2. If there is ever a time that you need to be studying your Bible morning and evening or sometimes all day long, it is when facing a valley.  It is better to study the Bible everyday, but especially during the valleys you need to increase your time in the word.  How can you claim His promises, if you don’t know what they are?

3. Remember every trial (big or small) you have ever been through in the past and remember how God had carried you through.  I even suggest writing them down.  Trial and across from it the miracle or good change that came about in your heart as a result of the trial.  If you have never done this, it may take a moment to reflect backwards and see what good came of each sorrowful moment.  Ask God for the wisdom to reveal this to you.  You will be amazed at the Grace and Mercy that was etched in the center of that painful trial.

4. Make a list of God’s promises concerning finances, illness, loss or whatever your valley is.  Keep those scriptures with you and reread them frequently

5. Find Christian Songs that declare His Might and Power and Love—hum them to your own self throughout the day.

6. Each morning make a list of those things for which you are thankful to God and read them to God.

7. Do not skip meals or do without sleep.  Even if you don’t want to eat, do it anyway.  If you awaken in the night, pray quietly while taking deep slow breathes—you can hear God’s response clearer when you quiet your own mind. Let yourself drift back to sleep. This is not your moment to diet or deprive yourself of sleep.

8. Neither should you spend all day in bed. Get up and put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time until you do finish that day something you can call an accomplishment—then say “Thank you, Lord for today.

      All of these steps I have learned over the years after passing through many trials.  True faith, hope, and trust come from seeing God’s faithfulness through the trials.   Having seen this fact played out in my own life, should I not now see each trial as a gift of love from God?  God so carefully and patiently has been working to remove all my own false securities that I might find security in the only one who keeps me safe in the storms of life.  He has ever so gently changed my desires that they might be conformed to His desires.  How well He has known me.  He knew that I, perhaps like Peter, desired to rely on my own strength or to think too much of myself at times.  There have been times when He would allow me to press forward in my own strength only to fail and plummet into self despair before looking up and finding my comfort once more in Him, the only strength or righteousness which could be mine.  My boss once told me that he did not understand me because whenever God threw me a curveball, I seemed to catch it and run with it as though a great gift.   I told Him that had not always been the case; rather, I have learned through many trials that He is faithful and that He loves me beyond anything I could imagine.  It is for that reason I can now trust Him.  Perhaps that is why last year as I went in for a major surgery, I had no fear.  It proved to be one for which the recovery was more painful than I could have imagined; yet, I saw it through God’s eyes this time.  The pain limited my activity, so I finished writing “A Broken and Contrite Heart.”  It was a book God had pressed on my heart to write ever since 2005; yet, steadily and slowly He had taught me, sifted me so that I would be ready to write the book.  Then, He sat me down for a period of time so that I could do just that.  I have learned that when life does not make sense; trust in He who rules the Universe because He is still in control and has a plan of love for me.–Excerpt from "Mountaintop Experiences in the Valley" by me, Effie Darlene Barba published 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh65wLVbaww